The officer in this photo is unnamed, but it is dated 1857. In this year the regiment were at first quartered in Kent, then in London to attend the Investiture at Hyde Park on the 26th June where Queen Victoria handed out the first VC medals. They were then sent to Ireland but their stay there was cut short by an order to sail to India to help deal with the Mutiny.
This young ensign must have joined the regiment after the 79th returned to England from the Crimea. He has no medals for the Crimean War which were hastily issued as early as 1855. The regimental history names the officers who sailed to India in 1857, the ensigns were: McGuire, Stewart, Dougal, J Campbell, Duff, Holford, McCausland and Kerr.
The details of his uniform show the large embroidered star badges on his collar. At that time the rank of ensign was denoted by a star, lieutenant by a crown and captain by a star and crown. The rank of ensign was changed to sub-lieutenant in 1871, and in 1872 the doublet was no longer allowed to have gold lace on the collar or cuff for that rank. In 1876 the rank was further changed to second lieutenant. There were many changes in 1881 including the abolition of the rank of second lieutenant; they were all granted the rank of lieutenant. But second lieutenants were re-instituted in 1887 and did not have a rank badge, so that the single star badge (moved from the collar to the shoulder cords) denoted lieutenant.
The collar is green with gold lace of a wave pattern along the top edge. It is further edged with white piping and rounded off at the front to show a black silk stock. The doublet he wears is scarlet with round gilt buttons. The buttons holding the gold shoulder cords are the same size as the ones that fasten the jacket down the front. On his right shoulder is a white belt for his broadsword, with a gilt belt plate showing the Victorian crown. The plaid is wrapped around his body and fixed to his left shoulder, as worn in levée dress. The photo shows that the plaid is retained on the shoulder by the gold shoulder cord and that the plaid brooch is decorative rather than functional.
